Launch of .eu Domain in Cyrillic Set for June

A long-awaited .eu internet domain in Cyrillic is nearing launch, EURid, the European Registry for Internet Domain Names, has announced on its website. The official launch date for .eu in Cyrillic is June 1.

"We're thrilled to be adding .eu in Cyrillic to the continuously growing list of services that .eu holders receive. This is a big moment for .eu," Marc Van Wesemael, general manager of EURid, said.

Launching the .e? extension is a milestone for the development of the European domain, which started operations in 2006, aiming to support multilingualism in the online arena.

The European Commission paved the way for the internet domain in 2009, when it adopted new rules to make it possible for internet users and businesses to register domain names under .eu, using the characters of all the official languages and scripts of the EU, including Cyrillic and Greek.

Starting from June 1, EURid will enforce the basic rule that the second-level script must match the top-level script. This means that current domain names registered in Cyrillic under .eu (Latin string) will undergo a "script adjustment" phase.

"The implementation of .eu in Cyrillic is a huge step for .eu, specifically with regards to our vision to supply users, living or working within the EU and/or EEA, with a platform on which they can establish their unique online identity," EURid external relations manager, Giovanni Seppia commented.

He explained that users will be able to register a domain name in Cyrillic under a Cyrillic extension.

The .eu domain is one of the most popular domains worldwide, connecting over 500 million people from 31 countries. It has over 3.9 million registered domain names.

Currently, among the 28 EU member states, the Cyrillic script...